Union minister slams writers for raising voice against Kulburgi killing, Dadri lynching

October 14, 2015

New Delhi, Oct 14: Union Minsiter Ravi Shankar Prasad today questioned eminent writers for returning awards to protest against Kannada author Kalburgi's murder and Dadri lynching, telling them that such voices were "not heard" after incidents like Emergency and Muzaffarnagar riots.ravi shankar prasad

"...One thing does pain me sometimes. A number of big incidents happened in the country earlier, also but at that time people did not return (awards).

"During Emergency, democratic rights including press freedom were violated on such a large scale. But these kinds of voices were not heard then. Such a massive riot happened in Muzaffarangar one and half years back and the way the (state) government (of Samajwadi Party) worked there was in an enitrely discriminatory manner. At that time also such protest was not seen," Prasad told reporters at the Cabinet briefing.

He however asserted that "we honour the scholars but will like to tell them very politely that if they get award, they have got it on the basis of their ability and knowledge on which everyone takes pride."

The Union Minister, however, refused to take further quesions syaing he does not intend to enter into a debate on the issue at this podium.

"I would not like to say anything on it. Cutlure Minister (Mahesh Sharma) has already spoken on it," he said.

Asked about the Opposition criticism of the government on Dadri incident, Prasad sid that both the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah have spoken over the issue.

"Even after that some people do not desist from criticism. What can we do? The primary responsibility for Dadri incident was on Uttar Pradesh government. Their initial response was also not good.

"They should have taken action. We condemn it. Action should be taken against those involved in it," he said.

Prasad's remarks comes after eminent author Shashi Deshpande said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment on the Dadri lynching incident was "far too weak."

The eminent author, who had resigned from the general council of the Sahitya Akademi expressing "disappointment" over PM's silence on Kannada author Kalburgi's murder, said that Modi has used a very weak word, "unfortunate", to term the lynching incident.

At least 27 writers, poets, playwrights and translators have so far returned their Sahitya Akademi award with Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana handing over her Padma Shri award against the "rising intolerance" in the country.

Prasad did not take any questions on Shiv Sena's paint attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni. Responding to questions on the Prime Minister hosting the family members of Subhas Chandra Bose at his residence today, the Union Minister said that members of Netaji's family had expressed concern over the facts related to the death of the leader and hence the PM is meeting them.

"Our government honestly accepts it that irrespective of whichever ideology one belonged, all those who fought for the nation should be respected. That is why we are also planning to celebrate Sardar Patel's birth anniversary on October 31 in a big way."

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News Network
July 18,2020

Golaghat, Jul 18: A total of 96 animals have died in the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district of Assam due to floods, the state government informed on Saturday.

"So far, 96 animals have died in the park including eight rhinos, seven wild boars, two swamp deers, 74 hog deer and two porcupines," park officials said.

A report from the government of Assam stated that a total of 132 animals had been rescued from the Kaziranga National Park. The park is currently 85 per cent submerged under floodwaters.

"Water level at Pasighar and Dibrugarh are below the prescribed danger level. The floodwater in Numaligarh, Dhansirimukh and Tezpur are still above danger level," the report stated.

At least 76 people have died and nearly 54 lakh people have been affected in 30 districts of Assam due to floods caused by the monsoon rains and the rise in water levels of the Brahmaputra river, informed the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Friday.

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Agencies
February 11,2020

New Delhi, Feb 11: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Tuesday said the party will review why it failed to meet its own expectations in the Assembly polls and saw a moral victory in the fact that the party's vote share has increased since 2015.

"Delhi must have given mandate after careful thinking. Our vote percentage has increased from 32 per cent to around 38 per cent. Delhi did not reject us and the increase (in vote share) is a good sign for us," he told reporters.

He said the BJP hopes that there would be less blame game and more work in the national capital and congratulated Arvind Kejriwal on his party's victory in the polls.

After winning the Patparganj seat, AAP senior leader Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of indulging in the politics of hate.

"We indulge in politics of development not politics of hate. We're against the roadblock in Shaheen Bagh as we were earlier," he said.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that people should not think of COVID-19 quarantine facilities as a prison and spoke with two survivors of the infection during his radio show 'Mann Ki Baat' to establish that it was curable.
The Prime Minister spoke to coronavirus survivors -- Ramagampa Teja and Ashok Kapoor - and urged them to share their success against the infection with people.
The Prime Minister asked people to listen to the survivors who had successfully defeated the coronavirus.
"I have spoken to a few people who were infected from the virus and speaking to such people. While I tried to boost their morale they also lifted my spirits when I talked to them," he said.
Speaking to the Prime Minister during the show, Ramagampa Teja, an IT professional, who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Dubai, said that he was frightened when he tested positive for the disease and could not believe that this has happened to him.
He said even his family was very stressed after finding out his COVID-19 positive status. "But their test results came negative, which I took as a great blessing. And since then, there were improvements every day," he said.
Teja was admitted to a government hospital in Hyderabad and was released after 14 days as he successfully overcame the infection. "The first few days were the hardest but the dedicated doctors and nurses at the hospital ensured that I recovered," he added.
He asked people not to be afraid of being quarantined. "People feel that going into quarantine means going to prison. They should know that the government quarantine is for them and their families. I want to emphasise that people must get tested and do not fear quarantine," he added.
The Prime Minister congratulated him and his family and asked him to share an audio clip of his experience. "I would like you to make an audio of your experiences and share it on social media so that it goes viral and removes fear from people's minds," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also spoke to another coronavirus survivor, Ashok Kapoor, six members of whose family in Agra were tested positive for the deadly virus.
On being asked by the Prime Minister whether they had feared for their lives, Kapoor said, "We were not scared as we received excellent cooperation from the doctors and support staff at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital."
The six of them were shifted to Delhi and put under quarantine for 14 days where all of them successfully recovered from the infection.
The Prime Minister also commended the spirit of Ashok Kapoor and said: "Your experience came in handy for all. My best wishes to you and your family."
He also urged the Kapoor family to spread awareness regarding COVID-19 in the way they see fit. "Please spread awareness your way and you can feed whoever is hungry, look out for the poor and also spread awareness to people urging them to follow the rules," the Prime Minister said.
"If everyone follows the rules, the country will be saved," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also thanked the people involved in ensuring the continuous supply of goods and services in the country and advised them to "follow all the safety precautions, take care of themselves and their family members."
Earlier in his address, Modi had asked for the forgiveness of all countrymen, and especially the poor, for the nationwide lockdown in the country in the view of the novel coronavirus. He had then termed it a necessary measure needed to defeat the infection in India.

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